Gotta Love Those Prolif's
Proliferations................they just bring a smile to my face! So cute, a little baby clinging to mama but just not quite ready to spend life on its own. Now is the time to gather them in. But what are they and what can you do with them?
Proliferations (or prolif's for short) are in essence the foliage of a baby plant. Unlike seeds from daylilies these prolif's are genetically identical to the mother plant. They form as a leafy shoot from a node or bract on the scapes of many cultivars and can be rooted to form a complete plant
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What do you do with them? This is one simple method among many. First, I find it best to leave them on the mother plant as long as possible. This allows the prolif to grow and the more advanced they are the easier they are to root. Sometimes by leaving them on the scape they will automatically grow roots and can be potted up then. If they don't automatically root then I will harvest the scape when it is almost all brown. If there is a prolif, the scape will usually retain itself viable for quite a long time.
I then cut back the scape length in order to fit into a vase of water that will be just at the level of the point of contact between the prolif and scape. Change this water frequently to help ward off rot. When the prolif roots then I plant this entire scape as is. I find it helps stability of the little plant in the compost. Chris likes to take the prolif off the scape initially to soak and plants without the scape. Others put little bags of medium around the prolif on the scape still attached to the plant. Use the method that suits you but most importantly.....have fun doing it and remember you are bringing a new baby into the world!
